Page 72 of A Little Bit Whiskey
“Not at all, Mom.” Chablis moved to the floor, wrapping her arm around her mother. “You and Dad are still so young. You raised seven kids. It’s our turn to take care of things. If we need help, we’re not going to be shy about asking.”
“We’re all so appreciative of everything you’ve done for us,” Riesling said. “I might not work for the winery, but I do help out when and where I can. We want to see you and Dad enjoy your golden years while you’re still young enough to do it.”
“I agree with our kids.” Carter stood, taking his wife’s hand, helping her up. “Now, let’s get some of these dishes done and clean up this house before we head back to the cottage.”
“Nope. Not going to let you do that,” Tamsyn said. “Noir and I can handle that.”
“But we made a huge mess and holidays are a lot with this family,” Weezer said. “It’s always in the main house and I feel bad that it’s now left to the two of you to deal with.”
“You gave us this house. We willingly took on what that meant.” Noir kissed his mother’s cheek.
“We will help them,” Zinny said. “You and Dad should go home and have a nightcap. Watch some TV. Get a little frisky.”
“Gross,” Ashling said. “Grandparents don’t do that.”
Carter laughed. “Let’s hope your grandma and I are—”
“Dad.” Riesling patted his shoulder. “Seriously. We don’t need to get into that conversation.”
“I know what sex is, Mom.” Ashling planted her hands on her hips. “It’s just weird that old people do it.”
“Watch who you call old, young lady.” Weezer ruffled Ashling’s hair. “Come on, old man, let’s go make Weezer noises.”
“Oh my God,” TJ said. “I can’t believe my teenage ears have been subjected to this. It’s worse than when Tommy Sisco brought one of his aunt’s romance novels and read the sex scene in the locker room.”
“He did what?” Dax asked. “How come this is the first I’m hearing of this?”
The room boomed with laughter.
Carter smiled. His heart filled with the kind of joy that couldn’t be explained. This was exactly what he pictured his life to be the day he married Weezer. He knew she would bring him the kind of life that fed his soul. “You all have a good night.” He guided his wife to the front of the house. He helped her into her jacket before putting on his own.
The cold January evening hit his old bones, but he still wasn’t tired of changing seasons. It reminded him of the life he’d lived so far, and he looked forward to the next chapter.
He threaded his fingers through Weezer’s as they strolled down the path toward the cottage. “We did good, Weezer.”
She leaned in closer. “Our children have found the kind of happiness we have, only they don’t have the pains of the past to suffer through like we did. I’m so grateful to you for sticking by me all these years.” She glanced up. Tears dribbled down her face.
He rubbed them away with his thumb.
“You didn’t have to. When I divorced you, a lesser man would have called it quits.”
“I’ve loved you my whole life. There isn’t another woman for me. Secrets or no secrets. I couldn’t have stopped loving you if I tried.”
“Do you really want to take me to Europe?”
“I do.” He paused, taking her into his arms. He glanced between the cottage and what used to be his home. “It’s time to turn everything over to the kids. While they will always need us in some way, whether it be to watch the grandbabies or to be there for moral support, they don’t need us to hover anymore. You taught them the business. They know what they are doing. They each have a family to love and call their own. It’s time for us to do the one thing we’ve never done.”
“Travel?”
“That, and just be us. We’d only been married a few years before we started pumping out kids. But we never got to be Carter and Weezer. There’s always been something standing in our way. Not our kids, but life and our need to protect our family from the past. We don’t have to do that anymore. We can relax and simply be us.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Carter pressed his lips against his wife’s.
His family was safe and secure.
Life at The River Winery was finally the way it was supposed to be. Filled with love, laughter, and family.
